Search results for "Principi"

CHARACTERIZATION OF HYDROPHOBIC POLYMERIC MEMBRANES FOR MEMBRANE DISTILLATION PROCESS

2010

Hydrophobic microporous membranes are utilized in membrane distillation (MD) processes, e.g. seawater desalination at moderate temperatures. The vapour permeability of commercial hydrophobic membranes with different pore sizes (0.2-1 micron) was characterized through a simple apparatus designed-on-purpose. A cylindrical vessel had a face closed by the membrane and the other connected to a thin graduate tube. The water level variation in the tube is recorded and related to the vapour flux across the membrane. Measurements were taken in the temperature range 20-80°C. A fan tangential to membrane surface was employed to maintain a constant driving force for vapour transport. Vapour flux did no…

Tubular scaffold for vascular tissue engineering application

2010

A critical obstacle in tissue engineering is the inability to maintain large masses of living cells upon transfer from the in vitro culture conditions into the host in vivo. Capillaries, and the vascular system, are required to supply essential nutrients, including oxygen, remove waste products and provide a biochemical communication “highway”. Another goal in this research field is the possibility to tune the biodegradability of the scaffold. After implantation, the scaffold has to be gradually replaced by cells and extra cellular matrix and it is crucial that this replacement takes place with an appropriate dynamics. A premature degradation, in fact, could lead to a collapse of the struct…

Comparison of the solidification of a commercial PBT-PET blend with the behaviour of the constituents

2009

PLLA scaffolds based on thermally induced phase separation: morphology, cell seeding and proliferation

2009

Thermal expansion of Glass fibre reinforced (GRF) thermoplastics: influence of the nature of the polymer matrix and of the fibre content

2009

PLLA biodegradable scaffolds for Vascular Tissue Engineering (VTE) applications via dip drawing and Diffusion Induced Phase Separation (DIPS)

2009

Hierarchical modelling of electrodialysis desalination process

2017

In recent years, thanks to the development of ion exchange membranes (IEMs) manufacturing industry, Electrodialysis (ED) is spreading as a viable alternative to the more common membrane desalination processes. Therefore, many research efforts have been recently devoted to studying this process both via experimental and modelling activities. In the present work a novel mathematical model for ED was developed using a multi-scale approach. This method allows to build a hierarchical simulation tool that is able to gauge the impact of all the phenomena involved in the process. The lower-hierarchy model describes the behaviour of the elementary unit of an ED stack, namely cell pair. This model is…

RED Heat-to-Power: conversione di calore di scarto in energia elettrica mediante elettrodialisi inversa a ciclo chiuso

2016

La produzione di energia da gradienti salini si sta affermando come una valida alternativa alle tradizionali fonti di energia rinnovabili. In particolare l’elettrodialisi inversa (RED) è di certo tra le tecnologie più promettenti per effettuare la conversione di gradienti salini in energia utile. Un recente sviluppo è l’utilizzo del processo RED a ciclo chiuso con soluzioni saline artificiali, nel quale le soluzioni in uscita dall’unità RED vengono rigenerate all’interno di un’unità di rigenerazione termica, che ripristina il gradiente salino iniziale. L’utilizzo del sistema a ciclo chiuso premette dunque di convertire calore a bassa temperatura (e.g. calore di scarto a T <70-100°C) in e…

Ion Exchange Membrane deformation and its relevance in Reverse ElectroDialysis

2017

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is an innovative electro-membrane technology for electric energy generation from two salt solutions with different concentration. This different concentration is the driving force to a selective movement of ions from the concentrate channel to the dilute one oriented by Ion Exchange Membranes (IEMs). Typically, RED stack are made by piling alternatively cation exchange membranes and anion exchange membranes with the aid of spacers or profiles built on the membrane surface. Two electrodic compartments are placed at the two ends of the stack, where the ion flux generated is converted into an electric current able to circulate through an external load connected to…

Coupling CFD simulation with a simplified process model for reverse electrodialysis units

2017

Salinity gradient between two solutions is a renewable source of energy. Among the technologies able to exploit the salinity gradient, reverse electrodialysis (RED) is an electrochemical process for electrical power generation through direct conversion. Ion exchange membranes, piled alternately and separated by net spacers or membrane profiles, are the key elements of a RED stack. A multiplex phenomenology occurs in RED units; Ohmic and non-Ohmic (due to concentration changes) voltage losses and pressure drop are the main issues, and the membrane/channel configuration is crucial for the stack performance. In this framework, mathematical modelling can be a powerful tool for predictive purpos…